NIC Says Strategies Are in Place to Serve Customers During Dry Spell

Jamaica News: The National Irrigation Commission (NIC) says strategies are in place to serve customers facing disruption during the current dry spell.

“The NIC has been experiencing a reduction in the flow of surface water due to the current dry weather condition. However, we are still able to supply our customers with water. The NIC has a mitigation strategy, and part of our strategy is the extension of pumping hours,” Director of Engineering and Technical Services at the NIC, Rohan Stewart, told JIS News in an interview.

“On average, we pump water to customers for eight hours daily, but if the weather condition persists, we can increase these hours,” he added.

Mr. Stewart informed that the NIC provides water to the agricultural sector using surface water and wells.

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He highlighted that other mitigation strategies in the Commission’s plan include increasing water storage facilities to match service demand.

“We have wells that are not being operated, so if the need arises we can bring those systems on board,” Mr. Stewart said.

Meanwhile, the NIC is urging customers to practise water conservation during the current dry spell, and has advised that the execution of mitigation strategies would come at no extra cost to customers.

The NIC is an agency of the Ministry of Industry, Commerce, Agriculture and Fisheries. It is mandated, under the Irrigation Act, to manage, operate, maintain and expand existing and future irrigation schemes and systems established by the Government of Jamaica.

The agency provides irrigation services primarily to the agricultural sector as well as to some industrial and commercial users.

Source: JIS News